Can an LED be used as a photodiode?

In most circuits, you can replace a standard silicon photodiode with an LED. Pay attention to the polarity. Also keep in mind that the LED is not as sensitive as most standard photodiodes and reacts to a much narrower wavelength band of light.

The wavelength and color of the light produced depend on the material used in the diode. Infrared LEDs use material that generates light in the infrared part of the spectrum, just below what the human eye can see.

Various infrared LEDs can be generated Infrared light with different wavelengths as well as different LEDs produces light with different colors. In most circuits, you can replace a standard silicon photodiode with an LED. Pay attention to the polarity. Also keep in mind that the LED is not as sensitive as most standard photodiodes and reacts to a much narrower wavelength band of light.

Since the human eye can not see the infrared radiation, a person, unlike a conventional LED, can not tell if the IR LED is working or not. To solve this problem, the camera of a mobile phone can be used. The camera can display the IR rays emanating from the IR LED in a circuit.

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